FWNRM Blog

​Watching wildlife is a favorite past time of many Alabamians and I am certainly no exception. Each year, these folks spend millions of dollars traveling to places to watch wild animals in their natural habitats. However, sometimes you don't have to travel at all to get the opportunity to see wildlife behaving as wildlife. For example, a good friend of mine snapped these pictures of the red-tailed hawk catching and eating a squirrel's in the heart of the Auburn University campus. He was also able to video this Mockingbird harassing the hawk as it was trying to eat. My friend was able to get both pictures and video on his phone as he set in his office. The hawk consumed almost the entire squirrel, hide and all. Red-tailed hawks and many other raptors have become quite common on campus and in neighborhoods and, in many instances, will carry on their daily routines in surprisingly close proximity to humans. If you would like to get more information on these fascinating animals, check out Southeastern Birds of Prey (http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/Y/YANR-0193/YANR-0193.pdf).